I have decided to adopt the challenge of the writer Julia Cameron of ‘morning writings’ and during this mornings musings I noticed that the table I work on in one corner talked about all that my work relates to in one small glimpse. The pile of books, the cones of thread, a cloth house carrier bag a stitched piece of ongoing work with the needle still working it.
Month: August 2012
Current work
These are images of some work I am stitching at the moment – its unfinished and becoming very sculptural in form. Consideration should be given to making more three dimensional pieces from the outset. Need to look at artists such as Eva Hesse as many of her pieces are very textile like.
Quilt Show
This week I visited the quilt show in Birmingham at the N.E.C. and had an exciting time meeting up with friends and friends I hadn’t seen for a long time together with meeting new associates. It struck me that this was as important as the quilts. The heirloom quilts must be the most interesting to me although its is good to see that lots of people (mostly women) are ‘ stitching’. The Welsh Quilts and their association with the Amish designs was a very interesting stand and Dorothy Osler was signing her new book on the subject.
My most exciting find was a very small piece of work from one of my favourite quilters, Dorothy Caldwell as part of a larger group show.
All in all a very good show and well worth going.
Inspiration for my work
These images of rock folds inspire my work and provide context for it.
Quote
Each mark in clay, wood, stone, fiber, glass, pigment or metal is the archaeological evidence of an action taken by its maker. Indeed the object as a document embodies a material reenactment of a studio based craft practice. ‘ (Busek 2011)
Geometry
This a symmetrical repeat I am working on, still in quite small pieces – much more regimented than the random repeats, provides an interesting contrast and further exploration of scale is now required. I am working from a matrix I designed of 21 x 21 fabrics and methodology so I have much to be getting on with. Some very unexpected things happen with these samples. The ones I expect ( first rule don’t expect) to be a problem are not and the fabrics I love as flat pieces don’t have the personality I expect them to have when made up into a sample. This means I have to be very careful how and what I record when making these pieces. This blog is providing another opportunity to record information. I use my sketchbook for ideas, record books for details and a spreadsheet for additional information.
‘The days passed as I cr…
‘The days passed as I created, one by one a body of work that taught me yet again the power of limited means and focussed attention.'(Schulz: 1999)
My work is always hand stitched, not always hand made as the cloth I use is made by machine and the definition is important to me. There is a unique opportunity to understand the relationship between thread, cloth and the hand whilst stitching my collection of samples. Discovering the characteristics and qualities of the materials I am using is the challenging aspect of the handwork and can only be done with the handling of the materials and engaging with the practice. My work is by nature very slow and carries a certain discipline of working; with the minimum of tools and paired down expression.
I feel like a c…
I feel like a child with a new book – already my friend Susi has commented on my first post. I am challenging myself to make a post every day no matter how small. I am quite ordered and even pedantic about my practical work so this will be a valid discipline for me – lets see how it goes.
First post
This is my first post and I am finding my way around the dashboard. My current work is involved in ‘cloth’ and how it might be joined to itself to cause a variety of animated surfaces. This cloth is a mixture of linen and cotton and holds the crease very well – considering that this started as a flat piece of cloth I am excited by the way it moves now.
kayswancutt 